"Shing! Shing!"
Countless shuriken flew toward the giant snake's eyes, aiming for its vulnerable spot.
"Roar!"
The serpent let out a violent cry. The pain and danger caused it to thrash wildly, its massive body writhing in agony.
In its struggle, the serpent inadvertently exposed its Achilles' heel—the spot just behind its seven-inch mark, a critical vulnerability.
"Found it!" Kakashi's voice carried a rare hint of excitement.
"This is it!"
"Chidori!"
Blue lightning crackled to life in Kakashi's hand once more. He launched the highly destructive technique toward the serpent with precise intent.
The serpent fought back with all its might, thrashing in its last desperate attempt to survive.
And then...
"Boom!"
With a resounding explosion, the serpent collapsed to the ground.
"It worked," Kakashi said softly, his voice calm.
A faint smile appeared beneath the mask of the armor. It worked.
But then his expression suddenly darkened.
"Goodbye, Kakashi. Satoru Uchiha," A said, his voice steady. "Let's leave it at that."
He put his mask back on, preparing to turn away.
"Where are you going, A?" Kakashi called out, stopping him.
Kakashi knew the rules of the Root well. Abandoning the past and the future, living without names, memories, or emotions—this was the life of a Root ninja. Those who failed their mission or betrayed the Root didn't survive.
A might never come back.
Kakashi's gaze grew complicated as he thought of the consequences.
A smiled softly, his voice quiet.
"The Root is where I belong. Without it, I don't know where else to go. I have no choice but to go back."
"Besides, Danzo-sama doesn't necessarily have to do anything to me."
He said this not only to comfort Kakashi and Satoru but also to reassure himself.
"What, do I still have a sense of existence here?" Satoru asked, pulling out a three-color pill and popping it into his mouth.
"You've forgotten what you just said," he added with a mischievous grin. "You're underestimating your seniors too much."
"When did you become a senior?" Kakashi asked, looking at Satoru with a speechless expression. Just as he thought about it, Satoru interrupted him.
"Of course, I'm a senior," Satoru replied casually. "I'm one of the Shadows, after all."
"Anyway, I'm ahead of A, so of course, I'm a senior," he added with a yawn before continuing. "Besides, you're a bit too serious, Kakashi."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Shadows? A?"
Suddenly, Kakashi had an idea and turned to Satoru.
"It's a good idea to bring A into the Shadows," Kakashi mused. "No matter how far Danzo's influence reaches, it can never surpass the Hokage."
He tugged on his forehead protector, adjusting it to cover one of his eyes.
Satoru, hearing this, shook his head.
"It's not just a matter of time," he said. "Danzo's been crossing paths with the Hokage for years. The moment the Fourth Hokage died and the Third Hokage returned to power, Danzo had already started preparing to assassinate the Third and seize the position himself."
He looked at the two of them curiously.
"Did you two forget about the true nature of the Root?" Satoru asked, a playful glint in his eyes.
A hesitated for a long time before responding slowly, "I thought you were just describing things."
Kakashi mirrored A's confused expression.
Both of them had covered their faces, hiding their emotions.
At first, they thought Satoru was simply talking about the relationship between Konoha and its factions. But they hadn't expected it to mean this.
Satoru, understanding their looks, smiled a little awkwardly.
"You two are quite poetic, aren't you? Quite abstract in your understanding."
Satoru's words about the Root were clear—the idea was for them to find the Third Hokage and serve beneath him. Instead, they seemed to be thinking in entirely different directions.
The Wood Style technique held great significance for Konoha.
It was something that the entire village of ninjas had long dreamed of obtaining. The top brass had even conducted high-risk experiments to gain such power, knowing it could help control the tailed beasts and their rampages.
The Third Hokage must have been more than willing to offer protection for such a power.
Satoru paused, deep in thought.
"By the way, how much is a Wood Ninja worth?" he mused aloud. "If a person could be resold three times, would they get three bounties? That would be a nice windfall."
A shivered under Satoru's gaze.
"Why is he looking at me like that?" A thought, suddenly feeling uneasy. "I might have misjudged my senior's intentions."
Satoru's thoughts were interrupted by Kakashi's voice.
"What are you thinking? We're leaving," Kakashi said, glancing at Satoru, who appeared lost in thought.
"You can't stay in this cave for long," Kakashi continued. "It could collapse at any moment."
Then, he turned and walked out of the snake cave, leading the group away from the danger.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 80 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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